When I was appointed Chief of the Ephrata Fire Department, I knew that leading the second largest municipal fire department in Grant County would be challenging.

What was surprising to me was how easy the job is; easy because I have some of the brightest, most dedicated men and women in the county working with me.

The Ephrata Fire family has some of the finest men and women working in the fire service today – volunteer firefighters – that have gone on to win “Firefighter of the Year” awards and other community recognitions.

Our firefighters perform quiet acts of heroism every day. However, we believe the one-on-one contacts we have with our customers is the organizational quality which distinguishes us from others.

Statistics show the average person will activate the 9-1-1 system only once in their lifetime. So, how will the public’s perception of us be formed?

By a child’s description to their parents of a firefighter’s visit to the classroom

The motorist we politely let in the line of traffic while out on routine business

The grocery clerk wo sees us take the cart all the way back across the parking lot to the rack where it belongs

The stranded motorist we stop to assist

The friendly and professional service given to the person who comes in our fire station to ask a question

The business owner or property owner for whom we perform an inspection

We know these contacts have the power to shape perception. The “glory” calls are easy our training has programmed us to fight fires and save lives. Our department’s expectation is provide Excellence in Customer Service: excellence in both fire service standards and the customer’s standards. We accomplish this by having very nice people who are very skilled in firefighting and emergency medical care.

Because of our profession, we will receive respect from much of the public as a matter of course. However, we will never take for granted the fact that we must earn that respect daily as we go about the business of protecting the citizens of Ephrata.

Thank you for taking time to visit our website to learn more about the Ephrata Fire Department. I hope you find it useful as well as educational. If you have feedback, questions/comments for me or my staff, feel free to either contact us via email, write to us at 800 A Street SE Ephrata, WA 98823-2200, or call us at 509-754-4666